Wednesday Defense Briefing

The Pentagon’s era of austerity is starting to pinch some remote corners of the globe, including a volcanic island in the mid-Atlantic. – Washington Post

Navy crews don’t have enough sailors, training, or spare parts to keep up with operational demands, the Commander of Naval Surface Forces said bluntly [yesterday] afternoon. The service needs to make better use of smaller budgets by standardizing equipment and adopting new training simulations, Vice Adm. Tom Copeman said, but even that’s not enough: Ultimately, he said, the Navy must get smaller to stay ready. – AOL Defense

The U.S. Navy may face the prospect of not being able to routinely keep two aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf region, which has been a longtime requirement for any ability to launch military campaigns in that part of the world. – CNN’s Security Clearance

Federal employees and military service members will not get paid if Congress does not raise the debt ceiling, President Obama said Monday. – Military Times

The latest report on the F-35 program by Michael Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test and evaluation (DOT&E), spotlights growing problems with late software deliveries for the stealthy fighter. – Aviation Week

U.S. Defense Department is looking to broaden its defense cooperation in Western Europe by deepening its military-to-military engagements, especially in maritime and cyber security initiatives. – Defense News

The KC-46 tanker program faces potential budget issues that could force a renegotiation of the U.S. Defense Department’s contract with Boeing, according to budget analysts. – Defense News

Cybersecurity

Accessing these networks — networks that don’t have wireless routers and aren’t connected to the Internet — became something of a holy grail, dubbed “jumping the gap.” The science has progressed significantly, and now the Army is looking at demonstrating technology that can be deployed on aircraft and ground vehicles that can wage this kind of cyber warfare. – Defense News